'Shrooms, Anyone?

It's crazy, the things that you miss living over here.  I don't buy many exported things--in fact, oatmeal, cheese, milk and yogurt are really the only imported things that I buy on a regular basis.  Otherwise, I'm quite content to live off of whatever vegetables are in season and pretty much whatever you find here normally...rice, eggs, bread...you know, nothing super fancy. 

Well the other day I was saying to Chantelle, "Oh my goodness, I miss fresh mushrooms!"  Now, I only started liking mushrooms within probably the last five years or so.  As a child, I'd choke down the mushrooms in any meal I was served, if they weren't easily removable.  Eventually, I was able to handle them on pizza.  Then one Saturday, during my Grade 12 year, I rushed home from my shift at the local grocery store where I worked, for lunch break.  Mom not being home, I knew I'd probably have to throw something together for myself as my dad is not big into cooking.  But surprise of all surprises, I came home to find a bowl of cream of mushroom soup waiting for me.  On one hand I was touched--my dad thought to cook me lunch knowing I had limited time--and on the other I thought--oh dear, mushroom soup, gross!  Well believe it or not, it was the best tasting soup I'd ever had, and since that day my love of mushrooms has grown so great.  They were always on my weekly shopping list my last year of university and I put them in everything, sauces, casseroles, salads, I even loved eating them by themselves.  And now, I live in Niger, and fresh mushrooms is what I'm craving--not chocolates, not Starbucks lattes, but FRESH MUSHROOMS!!  I must be crazy!

Well after sharing with Chantelle how much I missed fresh mushrooms, we headed over to the grocery store to do our weekly shopping and guess what we found in the produce section?!  FRESH MUSHROOMS!!  Expensive FRESH MUSHROOMS!  Guess who bought FRESH MUSHROOMS despite their high price tag?  Guess who's been ENJOYING her FRESH MUSHROOMS all week long?  That's right!  The answer is ME!!

Okay, I know this was a random post, but that's sort of life in Niger.  Something as little as FRESH MUSHROOMS can be a very exciting topic! 

Also on the topic of food--I just discovered Nutter Butters!  Why aren't they sold in Canada?  Someone needs to start a petition to get those sold in Canada.  YUMMY!